The DJI settled slightly lower, as volume on the major stock exchanges stayed quiet

Today was a slow grind lower for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), with volume once again arriving well below the norm. A steep drop in Germany's business sentiment index set a downbeat tone out of the gate, and traders kept a cautious eye trained on the continuing conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq. Against this backdrop, the major equity indexes ended the day with minor losses.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 16,560.54) couldn't quite find its footing above breakeven, ending the day on a drop of 9.4 points, or 0.06%. Sixteen of the Dow's 30 components closed in the red, led by a downgrade-induced decline of 0.8% for United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX). On the flip side, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and DuPont (NYSE:DD) paced the 14 gainers by adding 0.7% apiece.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 14.13) spent time on both sides of breakeven, but ultimately closed on a deficit of 0.1 point, or 0.7%. It was the VIX's second straight daily close beneath its 10-day moving average.

5 Items on Our Radar Today:

Job openings rose to a 13-year peak of 4.7 million in June, according to the Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). A total of 4.8 million workers were hired during the month, while 2.53 million laborers quit their jobs -- a fresh six-year high for that metric. (The Wall Street Journal)

In a report today, Fitch Ratings warned that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could lose a chunk of its smartphone market share, as the iPhone parent faces increasingly stiff competition from lower-priced rivals in key emerging markets. Plus, any new features on the forthcoming iPhone 6 "are likely to be incremental rather than revolutionary," noted Fitch. (CNBC)